A magnitude of up to seven was recorded for the quake when it struck in the afternoon.

Early reports from the disaster emergency management presidency say that there have been several fatalities, with hundreds more injured.

In the Turkish tourist destination off Izmir, there were reports of people stuck in the rubble of collapsed buildings.

Some neighborhoods were deluged with surging sea water sweeping a flood of debris inland on leaving fish stranded as it receded.

Residents off the Greek island of Samos, which has a population of about 45,000, were urged to stay away from coastal areas.

Hi tidal wave warnings were in place across the area, with the vice mayor saying they'd never experienced anything like it.